The present invention relates generally to safety equipment, and in particular, to an inflatable air bag to deter a patient from getting out of bed and walking without the supervision or assistance of a caregiver.
It is well known that hospital patients such as the elderly or those with Alzheimer""s disease are in danger when they attempt to walk or move unaided from a bed. But an initial problem arises when they attempt to leave their bed as they are either physically too weak, or too confused to negotiate a safe exit. As a result, upon their attempted exit, they may misstep, fall out of the bed and injure themselves. Not only do these falls sometimes result in serious injuries, but they may also result in fatalities. Statistics show that falls in older persons and their resulting emotional effects, such as depression, are the leading cause of unintentional death in people over 75 years of age.
Over the years, hospitals and nursing homes have used different forms of impediments to prevent patients from leaving their beds. Physical deterrents have been used to tie bed occupants to the bed. These deterrents, however, are degrading, threatening, and have a tendency to agitate patients, particularly if they are confused about their surroundings. Also, railings have been used for many years. Recent studies, however, have shown that not only do railings fail to prevent falls, but they may actually increase serious injuries to bed occupants who attempt to climb over the railings to get out of the bed. Hospital and nursing home patients should have some level of comfort, but prior deterring systems with these and other drawbacks have diminished the quality of life of patient hospitalization. Therefore, a need exists in hospitals, nursing homes and even hospice or home care arrangements, to provide patients with a non-threatening deterrent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,705, to West, discloses an impact cushioning device that rests on a floor to cushion a patient who has fallen off of a bed. However this device does not become effective until the patient is already falling off of the bed so, it does not prevent the fall. The same is true of U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,065, also to West, that discloses a cushion to protect wheelchair or bed occupants from fall-related injuries. Since the cushion rests at a distance from its supporting structure, the occupant has some distance to travel before the fall is cushioned.
When a cushion rests on the floor, it is possible that the bed or wheelchair occupant may bounce off the cushion and still land on the floor. Also, the occupant may grab at the surroundings or nearby objects in an attempt to prevent an impending fall (from either the bed or wheelchair) even though there is a cushion on the floor, resulting in a muscle strain. Thus, neither one of these devices prevents the full range of injuries that could occur should a patient either attempt to break their own fall or fall off of the cushion.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved device to safeguard and deter patients who attempt to get out of their bed without the supervision or assistance of a caregiver. This device is particularly valuable for safeguarding patients in hospitals and nursing homes or where patients are under a hospice care-like arrangement.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a detection system to detect when an occupant is attempting to get out of bed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a control mechanism to carry a signal to an audio system and an inflation device such as a fan for activating a deterrent device to deter or delay an occupant from getting out of bed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of detecting and deterring a bed occupant from getting out of bed.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus to deter a bed occupant from getting out of a bed including a detection system, a deterrent device and a control mechanism. The detection system has a three-component detector for detecting when the bed occupant is attempting to get out of the bed. The deterrent device includes an air bag that is mounted on the frame of the bed that inflates to deter or delay the bed occupant from getting out of bed in response to a detection system signal. The control mechanism controls the detection system and deterrent device. The air bag is mounted on the long side of the bed and affixed to a support board or support frame on a bed frame. The air bag is inflated using a low-pressure inflation fan triggered by the control mechanism. When deployed, the air bag is maintained in a proper position by external tethers.